As Christmas approaches and millions of us order presents online Amazon has been blasted as staff exploitation revealed - with timed toilet breaks, impossible targets and workers falling asleep on their feet

Every day, delivery vans are headed up and down the A55 delivering parcels to eagerly awaiting customers.

For those who shop online , Amazon is one of the go-to sites to buy whatever you need, delivered to wherever you need it. Most of their 100million items offer speedy next day delivery too, handy for us who leave it to the last minute.

(Image: Amazon)

Many North Wales residents rely on the web-only retailer for products that would usually require a lengthy trip to a city.

It’s little wonder that business has been booming for the global firm. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has now reached a net worth of $100billion thanks to the stores Black Friday shopping frenzy. The company made it made £7.3billion last year alone.

Many of their vast warehouses are now open and operating across the UK, including one in nearby Warrington and one in Bolton which is set to open in 2018.

Each of these ‘fulfillment centers’ are at least 800,000 square feet - the size of 11 football pitches.

Picking and packing each and every item for whatever order arrives, workers are coined Amazon’s elves, busying themselves in a 21st century grotto.

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Amazon’s 2017 festive advert shows what happens when hundreds of Amazon branded parcels go on a magical journey to ‘send a smile this Christmas ’, cheerily to a cover version of Supertramp’s Give A Little Bit.

But one reporter has gone undercover to reveal what really goes on behind the doors of the retail giants ‘magic’ warehouses - and the human cost of their service.

The Sunday Mirror’s Alan Selby describes his five week stint working as a picker and packer at the company’s Essex center in the run-up to Black Friday .

This is what happened.

Reporter Alan worked for five weeks at Amazon's newest warehouse in Tilbury, Essex

Recalling his time working for the warehouse, he describes the work as "relentless".

He said: "I had nine seconds to grab and process an item to be sent for packing – a target of 300 items an hour, for hour after relentless hour.

"Cameras watched my every move and a screen in front of me offers constant reminders of my “units per hour” and exactly how long each has taken.

The undercover reporter spent five weeks at the firm’s newest warehouse in Tilbury, Essex, armed with a secret camera he bought from Amazon’s own website.

Parcels are processed and prepared for dispatch at Amazon's Fulfilment Centres (Image: PA)

"I found staff asleep on their feet, exhausted from toiling for up to 55 hours a week." he recalled. "Those who could not keep up with the punishing targets faced the sack – and some who buckled under the strain had to be attended to by ambulance crews."

Amazon's 24,000 workers are paid as little as seven pence per item to help pack and deliver each one across the UK.

Across Italy and Germany staff have gone on strike, complaining of low pay and poor conditions.

It seems the conditions are replicated here, Selby explains: "Employees at UK warehouses have told of sleeping in tents and under bridges just to get to work on time.

"Timed toilet breaks, impossible targets and exhausting, 'intolerable' working conditions are frequent complaints. Staff have been paid less than the living wage, and it even emerged drivers had faced fines for 'early' deliveries."

As experts warn of workers facing an increased risk of mental and physical illness, Amazon promised to clean up its act.

"There were complaints of filthy toilets and breaks still too short." he said.

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'We are human beings, not slaves and animals'

"One employee asked 'Why are we not allowed to sit when it is quiet and not busy? We are human beings, not slaves and animals'.

"I was told by one worker: 'I expected it to be all modern and powered by robots in here, but my eyes are wide open now'."

Selby describes how his shifts were long, beginning in the gloom at 7.30am and ending at 6pm, long after the sun had gone down.

Workers are discouraged from sitting down during their gruelling 10-hour shift

He revealed the warehouse has no natural light, meaning night and day have no meaning, and clocks had been covered over by staff to avoid counting down the minutes and hours until the end of a shift.

"Whatever the hour thousands of workers are racing to hit goals set by computers monitoring their every move. In my five weeks I saw staff struggling to meet impossible targets, in constant fear of the sack.

"Two half-hour breaks were the only time off my feet, but it was barely enough time to race to the canteen and wolf down some food to keep my energy up."

Despite being a keen marathon runner, he described how his body ached and fitness monitor revealed he regularly walked ten miles a day collecting purchases to be packed in a bid to meet target.

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'One colleague was taken to hospital by ambulance when they collapsed on the job'

His report also describes how he witnessed staff being taken away by emergency services.

"One colleague was taken to hospital by ambulance when they collapsed on the job, after struggling on despite feeling unwell.

"Another ambulance was called after a girl suffered a panic attack when she was told compulsory overtime would mean her working up to 55 hours a week over Christmas."

'Some simply slept where they stood'

With his secret camera, he managed to document colleagues snatching a moment to rest their aching feet when supervisors could not see them.

The less lucky ones were told off after being caught taking a breather. Some simply slept where they stood..

In the days leading up to Black Friday, missed performance targets saw scores of staff sacked.

There were rumours that staff fight over orders to keep their quota up.

Workers at an Amazon warehouse (Image: Western Mail Archive)

“If you get one with lots of small items you save time and keep your numbers up – everyone’s after those first.” he said. "Sometimes I met my targets, but I knew I couldn’t keep it up much longer.

"If I grumbled I was reminded my numbers would suffer if I stopped. In my final fortnight there were at least two safety incidents that could have seen somebody seriously hurt."

Amazon responded to the report with a statement.

A spokesperson said: “Amazon provides a safe and positive workplace with competitive pay and benefits from day one. We are proud to have created thousands of permanent roles in our UK fulfilment centres in recent years.

“We offer great jobs and a positive environment with opportunities for growth. As with most companies, we expect a certain level of performance.

“Targets are based on previous performance achieved by our workers. Associates are evaluated over a long period of time as we know a variety of things could impact the ability to meet expectations in any given day or hour.”